Devanampiyatissa
Encyclopedia
Tissa, later Devanampiya Tissa was one of the earliest rulers of Sri Lanka based at the ancient capital of Anuradhapura
from 307 BC to 267 BC. His reign was notable for the arrival of Buddhism
in Sri Lanka under the aegis of Mauryan Emperor Ashoka
. The primary source for his reign is the Mahavamsa
, which in turn is based on the more ancient Dipavamsa
.
describes him as being 'foremost among all his brothers in virtue and intelligence'http://www.vipassana.com/resources/mahavamsa/mhv11.php. He ascended to the throne of the northern kingdom based at Anuradhapura
sometime around 247 BCE. The majority of his subjects were Pagan, as they had been since the arrival of the first Sinhala colonists on the island around 300 years previously.
The Mahavamsa mentions an early friendship with Mauryan Emperor Ashoka. Chapter IX of the chronicle mentions that '...the two monarchs, Devanampiyatissa and Dhammasoka, already had been friends a long time, though they had never seen each other', 'Dhammasoka' being an alternate way of saying 'Ashoka'. The chronicle also mentions Tissa sending gifts to the mighty emperor of the Maurya; in reply Ashoka sent not only gifts but also the news that he had converted to Buddhism, and a plea to Tissa to adopt the faith as well. The king does not appear to have done this at the time, instead adopting the moniker 'Devāna-piya' ('Beloved of the Gods') and having himself consecrated King of Lanka in a lavish celebration.
Devanampiyatissa is traditionally said to have been succeeded by his younger brothers Uttiya and Mahasiva.
Emperor Ashoka took a keen interest in the propagation of Buddhism across the known world, and it was decided that his son, Mahinda
, would travel to Sri Lanka and attempt to convert the people there. The events surrounding Mahinda's arrival and meeting with the king form one of the most important legends of Sri Lankan history.
According to the Mahavamsa king Devanampiyatissa was out enjoying a hunt with some 40,000 of his soldiers near a mountain called Missaka
. The date for this is traditionally associated with the full moon day of the month of Poson.
Having come to the foot of Missaka, Devanampiyatissa chased a stag into the thicket, and came across Mahinda (referred to with the honorific title Thera); amusingly the Mahavamsa has the great king 'terrified' and convinced that the Thera was in fact a 'yakka', or demon. However, Thera Mahinda declared that 'Recluses we are, O great King, disciples of the King of Dhamma (Buddha) Out of compassion for you alone have we come here from Jambudipa
'. Devanampiyatissa recalled the news from his friend Ashoka and realised that these are missionaries sent from India. Thera Mahinda went on to preach to the king's company and preside over the king's conversion to Buddhism.
Given the extremely early date of Devanampiyatissa's reign, the dearth of sources, and the impossibility of archeological inquiry due to current political instability, it is difficult to discern what impact this conversion had, in practical terms, on Devanampiyatissa's reign. For example whilst there are references to a Tissamahavihara and various other temples constructed by the king, none can be reliably located.
What is fairly certain however is that the site of his initial meeting with Thera Mahinda is one of Sri Lanka's most sacred sites today, going by the name Mihintale. The sacred precinct features the Ambasthala, or 'Mango tree stupa', where the Thera Mahinda asked Mahinda a series of riddles to check his capacity for learning http://www.vipassana.com/resources/mahavamsa/mhv14.php, the cave in which Thera Mahinda lived for over forty years, and the Maha Seya, wherein is contained a relic of the Buddha.
The other major site associated with Devanampiyatissa's reign is the Sri Maha Bodhi
in Anuradhapura. The tree was yet another of Emperor Ashoka's gifts to the island and was planted within the precincts of Anuradhapura, and is regarded as the oldest tree in the world.
Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura, , is one of the ancient capitals of Sri Lanka, famous for its well-preserved ruins of ancient Lankan civilization.The city, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, lies 205 km north of the current capital Colombo in Sri Lanka's North Central Province, on the banks of the historic...
from 307 BC to 267 BC. His reign was notable for the arrival of Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
in Sri Lanka under the aegis of Mauryan Emperor Ashoka
Ashoka
Ashok Maurya or Ashoka , popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was an Indian emperor of the Maurya Dynasty who ruled almost all of the Indian subcontinent from ca. 269 BC to 232 BC. One of India's greatest emperors, Ashoka reigned over most of present-day India after a number of military conquests...
. The primary source for his reign is the Mahavamsa
Mahavamsa
The Mahavamsa is a historical poem written in the Pali language, of the kings of Sri Lanka...
, which in turn is based on the more ancient Dipavamsa
Dipavamsa
The Dipavamsa, or "Deepavamsa", is the oldest historical record of Sri Lanka.It means Chronicle of the Island. The chronicle is believe to be compiled from Atthakatha and other sources around the 3-4th century. Together with Mahavamsa, it is the source of many accounts of ancient history of Sri...
.
Reign
Tissa was the second son of Mutasiva, king of Anuradhapura. The MahavamsaMahavamsa
The Mahavamsa is a historical poem written in the Pali language, of the kings of Sri Lanka...
describes him as being 'foremost among all his brothers in virtue and intelligence'http://www.vipassana.com/resources/mahavamsa/mhv11.php. He ascended to the throne of the northern kingdom based at Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura, , is one of the ancient capitals of Sri Lanka, famous for its well-preserved ruins of ancient Lankan civilization.The city, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, lies 205 km north of the current capital Colombo in Sri Lanka's North Central Province, on the banks of the historic...
sometime around 247 BCE. The majority of his subjects were Pagan, as they had been since the arrival of the first Sinhala colonists on the island around 300 years previously.
The Mahavamsa mentions an early friendship with Mauryan Emperor Ashoka. Chapter IX of the chronicle mentions that '...the two monarchs, Devanampiyatissa and Dhammasoka, already had been friends a long time, though they had never seen each other', 'Dhammasoka' being an alternate way of saying 'Ashoka'. The chronicle also mentions Tissa sending gifts to the mighty emperor of the Maurya; in reply Ashoka sent not only gifts but also the news that he had converted to Buddhism, and a plea to Tissa to adopt the faith as well. The king does not appear to have done this at the time, instead adopting the moniker 'Devāna-piya' ('Beloved of the Gods') and having himself consecrated King of Lanka in a lavish celebration.
Devanampiyatissa is traditionally said to have been succeeded by his younger brothers Uttiya and Mahasiva.
Conversion to Buddhism
Mahinda
Mahinda was a Buddhist monk depicted in Buddhist sources as bringing Buddhism to Sri Lanka. He was the son of the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka.- Historical Sources :...
, would travel to Sri Lanka and attempt to convert the people there. The events surrounding Mahinda's arrival and meeting with the king form one of the most important legends of Sri Lankan history.
According to the Mahavamsa king Devanampiyatissa was out enjoying a hunt with some 40,000 of his soldiers near a mountain called Missaka
Mihintale
Mihintale is a mountain peak near Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka. It is believed by Sri Lankans to be the site of a meeting between the Buddhist monk Mahinda and King Devanampiyatissa which inaugurated the presence of Buddhism in Sri Lanka...
. The date for this is traditionally associated with the full moon day of the month of Poson.
Having come to the foot of Missaka, Devanampiyatissa chased a stag into the thicket, and came across Mahinda (referred to with the honorific title Thera); amusingly the Mahavamsa has the great king 'terrified' and convinced that the Thera was in fact a 'yakka', or demon. However, Thera Mahinda declared that 'Recluses we are, O great King, disciples of the King of Dhamma (Buddha) Out of compassion for you alone have we come here from Jambudipa
Jambudvipa
Jambudvīpa is the dvipa of the terrestrial world, as envisioned in the cosmologies of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, which is the realm where ordinary human beings live...
'. Devanampiyatissa recalled the news from his friend Ashoka and realised that these are missionaries sent from India. Thera Mahinda went on to preach to the king's company and preside over the king's conversion to Buddhism.
Notable locations
What is fairly certain however is that the site of his initial meeting with Thera Mahinda is one of Sri Lanka's most sacred sites today, going by the name Mihintale. The sacred precinct features the Ambasthala, or 'Mango tree stupa', where the Thera Mahinda asked Mahinda a series of riddles to check his capacity for learning http://www.vipassana.com/resources/mahavamsa/mhv14.php, the cave in which Thera Mahinda lived for over forty years, and the Maha Seya, wherein is contained a relic of the Buddha.
The other major site associated with Devanampiyatissa's reign is the Sri Maha Bodhi
Sri Maha Bodhi
Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi is a Sacred Fig tree in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. It is said to be a sapling from the historical Bodhi tree under which Buddha became enlightened...
in Anuradhapura. The tree was yet another of Emperor Ashoka's gifts to the island and was planted within the precincts of Anuradhapura, and is regarded as the oldest tree in the world.
Significance
Devanampiyatissa remains one of early Sri Lanka's most significant monarchs, given that his conversion to Buddhism set the kingdoms of the island down a religious and cultural route quite distinct from that of the subcontinent to the north. Later monarchs were to refer back to Devanampiyatissa's conversion as one of the cornerstones of the Anuradhapuran polity. The city itself was to remain capital of a powerful kingdom until the early Middle Ages, when it was eventually subsumed under the Chola invasion and then superseded by PolonnaruwaSee also
- MahavamsaMahavamsaThe Mahavamsa is a historical poem written in the Pali language, of the kings of Sri Lanka...
- List of monarchs of Sri Lanka
- History of Sri LankaHistory of Sri LankaThe History of Sri Lanka begins around 30,000 years ago when the island was first inhabited. Chronicles, including the Mahawansa, the Dipavamsa, the Culavamsa and the Rajaveliya, record events from the beginnings of the Sinhalese monarchy in the 6th century BC; through the arrival of European...
- Buddhism in Sri Lanka
- MahindaMahindaMahinda was a Buddhist monk depicted in Buddhist sources as bringing Buddhism to Sri Lanka. He was the son of the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka.- Historical Sources :...
- Asoka
- MihintaleMihintaleMihintale is a mountain peak near Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka. It is believed by Sri Lankans to be the site of a meeting between the Buddhist monk Mahinda and King Devanampiyatissa which inaugurated the presence of Buddhism in Sri Lanka...
External links
- Mihintale
- The Maha Bodhi
- The Mahavamsa History of Sri Lanka The Great Chronicle of Sri Lanka
- Kings & Rulers of Sri Lanka
- Codrington's Short History of Ceylon